Kuwait announced it would expel the Philippine ambassador and recall its envoy from Manila after videos emerged of its embassy staff conducting "rescue operations" for Filipinos fleeing from allegedly abusive employers in the capital.
This comes despite the Philippines apologising for what Kuwait called "a breach of their sovereignty".
News agency KUNA said the Philippine ambassador had been given a week to leave oil-rich Kuwait, adding tension to a spat between the two nations triggered by the discovery of a Filipina's body in an abandoned apartment in Kuwait City.
One clip shows a man rushing to assist a woman into a black vehicle carrying diplomatic licence plates, while another depicted a person running from what looked like a construction site and speeding off in a car.
Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Al Jarallah said on Tuesday that the embassy had violated the country's sovereignty and that it failed to work with the local authorities.
The Philippines’ Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano apologised for the rescue operations, admitting that although most rescues were conducted in co-operation with the Kuwaiti police, some “emergency” cases were launched by embassy staff alone.
"I apologise to my counterpart and we apologise to the Kuwaiti government, the Kuwaiti people and the leaders of Kuwait if they were offended by some actions taken by the Philippine embassy in Kuwait," he told reporters in Manila.
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Read more:
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Murder shocks Filipinas in Kuwait, but some vow to stay
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Two embassy workers involved in the operations were arrested in Kuwait and are being held by the authorities, according to Kuwait News Agency (Kuna).
Tuesday's apology follows the work ban placed by Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte, whose move to ban workers from an Arabian Gulf country is not unprecedented.
The Philippines government imposed a similar ban on the UAE last year after reports emerged of workers being abused.
Mr Duterte alleged that some Arab employers routinely abuse their Filipina workers, force them to work up to 21 hours a day and feed them scraps.
Mr Duterte has since engaged in negotiations, most recently meeting with the Kuwait ambassador to the Philippines. Prospects of a worker agreement are under way, with the president previously saying he will visit Kuwait to witness the signing of the accord.
The Philippines' ambassador to Kuwait has also offered a public apology after he made comments about his diplomatic mission's efforts to help Filipina housemaids in the Gulf nation.
Renato Villa read from a statement in Kuwait City on Tuesday.
He said that Mr Cayetano had also apologised to Kuwait "for the actions that were undertaken by the embassy … to assist Filipino nationals in grave distress here in Kuwait but which the government … found unacceptable”.
About 10 million Filipinos work abroad and the money they send back is a lifeline of the Philippines economy.
The%20specs
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The specs: 2019 Subaru Forester
Price, base: Dh105,900 (Premium); Dh115,900 (Sport)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 182hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 239Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.1L / 100km (estimated)
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
NEW%20UTILITY%20POLICY%3A%20WHAT%20DOES%20IT%20REGULATE%3F
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills